Ben and Leslie - Short Stories
by AvAMartini
Summary: A collection of sweet short stories of my OTP. Ben and Leslie - Drabbles
1. First Kiss

"Uh oh." Leslie stared into Ben's eyes. His hand still pressed against her cheek. She searched his face for any sign of remorse. But she saw only his hesitant expression as he starts to lose the confidence he had felt a few seconds ago.

"I'm sorry. I just... I've been wanting to kiss you since—" His voice trailed off. Leaving Leslie to ponder how long he had been waiting to do that. Because that was seriously the best thing she's ever felt in her entire adult years and if she had known kissing Ben would have that effect on her she would have thrown caution against the wind since she started developing feelings for him.

"No, don't be sorry," she whispered. "It was nice." She wondered why her voice came out so soft. But it seemed to fit the mood and she was just glad that she could even talk at all after that.

Ben felt a flood of relief at her words. And now seeing her flushed face and hearing her voice gave him the boost he needed. He stared at her beautiful face. He could get lost in her deep blue eyes. His heart pounded against his ears.

Half an hour ago, he had convinced himself that pursuing his feelings wasn't worth the risk of losing his job. But that realization sank his mood and he felt like he swallowed a pound of stones that had settled at the bottom of his stomach.

When he saw her again, the heaviness lifted. He tried really hard not want her. But he watched her mouth move and all he could think about was how it would feel against his lips.

And on impulse that he couldn't and didn't want to control, he leaned in and pulled her face towards him. His hand sliding to the side of her head and coursing through her blond curls as his mouth came down on hers.

He felt her surprise against his lips but it took only a mere second for her to open herself to him and she returned the kiss. It was just a few seconds but it felt like eternity as they tasted each other for the first time.

Ben pulled away first, wanting to gauge her reaction. Leslie wasn't done yet. She felt herself yearning for more and she dived in for another round. Ben accepted this onslaught with fervor. His other hand tightening its grip on her hips.

It only ended because Leslie needed to breathe. And as she looked at Ben with wild eyes, she remembered what was at stake. And she had so many words circling around her head. But all she could utter were those two whispered syllables.


	2. Are You Ready, Babe?

Ben looked at Leslie, who was standing quietly next to him, and he noticed the glazed expression on her face. He knew she was full of emotions at this bittersweet moment. And like she does on special occasions of her life, she was looking around and taking in every single detail.

This was one of those adorable traits she had that Ben loved so much about her. She had done the same thing during his proposal.

"Are you ready, babe?" Ben's voice brought Leslie back to the present.

She had been going through her memories leading up to this very moment. She recalls the first time she met these people. She remembers the first words she ever said to them.

She was memorizing the way the breeze felt as they stood in the open field. She wanted to remember the faces of her friends as they surround her for one last time. The way their voices floated in the air as they teased one another. Her heart was full of love. And she would miss this. She would miss them very much.

Ron and his family would be ok. In fact, if anything catastrophic happened to the world today, her instructions to Ben and the kids were always to find Uncle Ron.

Andy and April and their new adventures in Washington. Leslie would still be able to influence their lives. She felt it was her responsibility to see these kids grow up to be the best they could be.

Donna could definitely take care of herself.

Tom always got back up and she was sure he'd be fine under any circumstances.

And Garry... Well, she wasn't sure about Garry but he has his family to keep him happy. That should be enough for him.

Leslie was about to cry again. She loved every single one of them. She wanted to stop time and make more memories with this group of people she considered family. But a she looked at her husband and saw his soft concerned face, she knew it was time to move on.

"Yes," she said to him with confidence. Confidence that radiated from knowing that Ben would always be there by her side.

She turned to face the camera. "I'm ready," Leslie said to her unknown future.


	3. Prom

The kids bounced in time with the song's beat that was pounding loudly through the speakers. Amidst the sea of laughing teenagers bobbing their heads to the tune, Ben and Leslie sway slowly, wrapped in each other's arms, in the middle of the dance floor, their rhythm going against the pace of the music that Tom had selected, oblivious to the noise around them.

Her forehead is pressed against his, and he occasionally plants soft kisses on her face. His hands are firmly around her waist, guiding her to the tempo inside his head. Her arms are circled around his neck, holding him in a tight embrace.

His left hand slides up her back, tracing her spine, and maintaining a slow massaging motion in that sensitive area at the nape of her neck. Her eyes close as she drowns in the moment. "You look very beautiful in that blue dress," Ben whispers in her ear.

"That's the third time you've said that," Leslie whispers back.

"Do you remember the first time we danced?" He asks her, his voice sending shivers down her spine.

"Yes. Like it was yesterday."

He paints the picture of this cherished memory, "We had just started dating." His left hand tucks her curly blonde hair behind her ears and he leans in to whisper directly in it, "In secret." His eyes flash mischievously, as he remembers the explicit things they've done in secret.

"And you wanted to cook me dinner," she continues the story, loving the feel of Ben's cheeks against hers.

"And I lit candles and played Sarah McLachlan's Sweet Surrender on the stereo. As you requested." Ben provides the additional details.

"And you bumped into my stack of memorabilia from the Harvest Festival when you tried to twirl me around." Leslie smiles as she remembers how hard she laughed at Ben as he tried to catch the falling objects.

"So, we slow danced the whole night instead," Ben says, reinforcing the similarity of that night with this. But this time, they were not hiding in the confines of Leslie's living room.

"Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday," Leslie sighs.

"I love you, Lesliemin."

"I love you more, Benjamin."

Leslie pulls out of their embrace and glances at him with twinkling bright blue eyes. She takes his hand and beckons for him to follow her.

"Where are we going?" Ben asks, trying to contain his excitement, feeling like a real senior student about to break the rules.

"I'm going to make your prom night dreams come true, Wyatt," Leslie winks and Ben's heart soars.

He followed his wife, his hand firmly in hers, as she maneuvers them away from the dance floor. He beams at her look of determination. He always loved that about her. When Leslie sets her mind to something, she will pour all her energy in it. And right now, all Leslie wants to do is make passionate love to her husband, behind the auditorium building, under the soft moonlit sky.


	4. I Have a Crush on Benji Wyatt

**SUMMARY: 17 Year Old Leslie pining for Boy Mayor, Mr. Benji Wyatt.**

**AN: Wrote this rather quick. Coz I'm nervous and I needed a distraction. Hopefully, it's not too bad. :D**

* * *

Leslie Knope tightly gripped the newspaper in her hands. She was staring hard at a picture featured on an article for almost an hour now. It was photograph of a well posed Benji Wyatt who had been declared the Mayor of Partridge Minnesota at the age of eighteen. Leslie couldn't believe it. At eighteen, this boy had already accomplished what she had dreamed of doing since the age of ten.

Leslie was sure he was her soulmate. She stared at his honey brown eyes, his smirking lips, and his hair that was slicked back.

He was perfect.

A mayor at this age and he looked like a dreamboat. If there was anyone worth marrying, this was the one.

Of course, it was a pipe dream. She'd never in a million years get to meet him. By the time she finishes college, he'll probably be ruling some part of America by then.

She'd write him a letter anyway.

* * *

_Dear Benji Wyatt,_

_My name is Leslie Knope and I'm from Pawnee, Indiana. I would like to congratulate you for getting elected as the Mayor of Partridge, Minnesota. I can't believe that someone at 18 would win against veteran politicians and it gives me great hope that when I reach 18 (next year!), I'll be able to get this kind of opportunity._

_You're probably really busy right now, getting into the nitty gritty of making your town amazing, but I do hope that you'll take time to read this and that you'll know that you're a real inspiration to someone like me._

_If you ever decide to come to Pawnee, let me know. I know everything there is to know about our town and I can be your tour guide. :D_

_We have a famous mini horse named Li'l Sebastian and he is the cutest mini horse ever. I would introduce you to him and I'm sure you'll love him._

_And the parks here are amazing. I'm sure you have parks there in Partridge too, but does your park have a weekly event for the whole town? We have a different event every week and I'm always present in each one. Someday, I'll build a park that people will love, and it will be my legacy._

_I hope all this talk about parks doesn't bore you. I really love parks. And I love waffles too. Although, I'm not sure why I needed to tell you that…_

_I'll keep this letter short, sometimes I can go on and on about things and I don't want to be annoying or anything…_

_If you ever read this, please feel free to write me back. We could be pen pals! (My address is on the envelope)._

_I'd love to hear about your adventures as mayor of your town. But I'll understand if you don't write back, I'm sure you have more important things to do now. _

_Good luck with your term._

_Sincerely yours,_  
_Leslie Knope_

* * *

Leslie folded the paper and slipped it into the envelope. She licked the flap and sealed it. She held it up to her mouth and gave it a quick kiss, hoping against all hope that Ben will read it. She pushed her chair back and ran out of the room, skipping a few steps coming down the stairs and ran all the way outside. The mailbox was a few blocks from her house, and she wanted to reach it before the mailman got there so her letter would be sent today.

She imagined Ben receiving the letter and reading it and getting excited to write her back. A wide smile spread across her face, if she became mayor of Pawnee maybe their paths will cross. She really liked that idea. Maybe he'll even become her boyfriend. Leslie's smile grew wider.


	5. Eighteen

**AN: For Fer ~ Happy Birthday!**

**Summary: Leslie turns eighteen and receives the best birthday gift ever.**

* * *

The first thing that came into her mind when she woke up was that she was officially an adult today. Leslie Knope had turned 18. She considered all her birthdays special but being 18 held so many promises. She'd always acted mature for her age, now finally she could match her mind with her physical age.

She checked her phone immediately, thinking it was probably blowing up with messages. Her eyebrows furrowed when she realized she hadn't gotten any.

Nothing from her relatives, none from her friends. Most peculiar was that even her best friend Ann Perkins hadn't left any message. It was Saturday morning, maybe Ann had a rough Friday night, maybe something went wrong at her house… Leslie became worried. She sent a quick message to Ann asking her if she was ok and to call her as soon as possible. The hurt she felt from not seeing messages from her best friend was replaced with concern.

She's startled when her phone vibrates. Finally, a birthday message, she excitedly thought.

_Happy Birthday! I'm sorry I can't be there today._  
_I want you to know I'm thinking about you and planting a tree next to my dorm building in your honor._

The message was from Ben Wyatt. Leslie read it five times. She and Ben had gotten really close before he left for college. She considered him to be her second-best friend. Ann being the first, of course. She wanted to be happy for him, going off to a new adventure. But it had been months since she'd last seen Ben. She secretly hoped he'd drop by this weekend to greet her personally. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen and something heavy settled at the pit of her stomach.

When he left for college, Leslie was struck by a powerful emotion of not wanting him to go. At first, she thought it was just normal to miss a dear friend. But then she thought about all the girls he'd meet in college and she was overcome by jealousy, an emotion she hadn't felt before for him. Maybe because he was always around and so she never had any chance to be jealous of something.

But then she thought about it some more, she wasn't jealous that Ben would find another friend. She was scared that Ben would find a girlfriend. Someone that was not her. When she told Ann about it, her best friend immediately teased Leslie. Ann reminded her that she'd called it years back when she told Leslie and Ben that they were perfect for each other.

Getting up from bed, she pushed all thoughts of sadness aside and put on her birthday outfit that she picked out last night. It was a simple red dress that she and Ann had found at the clearance section of the mall. She loved how it hugged her figure and how the skirt swished whenever she twirled.

Running down the stairs and almost tripping, she barged into the kitchen where she thought her mom would probably be preparing her birthday breakfast waffles.

The room was empty. Leslie was starting to get annoyed. Did the world end last night and everyone disappeared, and no one told her?

Noticing a bright yellow post-it was stuck on the door of the fridge, she makes her way to it and read her mother's bold scrawl.

_Breakfast out in the backyard._

Leslie smiled. Of course, she thought, her mom would want to eat outside. They'd been eating outside the past few weeks. Her mom was going through a nature phase and she told Leslie that being in the house all the time was making her feel old.

She made her way to the back door and pulled it open.

"SURPRISE!"

Clutching her chest from shock, she thought she might have had a mini heart attack. But suddenly everything came to focus. All her friends were beaming at her, each holding a pink balloon. Her mom ran to her, gave her a hug, and pulled her towards the middle of the backyard.

There was a huge picnic table at the center and it was fully decorated with her favorite colors, pink and purple. There were plates of waffles and her birthday cake was decorated with a Li'l Sebastian topper. Leslie felt the tears in her cheeks before she even realized she was crying.

Ann was next to hug her tightly. And Leslie bawled on her shoulders, unable to keep it together anymore.

"Leslie don't cry." Ann said.

"These are happy tears," Leslie replied. "I can't believe you threw me a surprise breakfast birthday celebration!"

All her friends came rushing to her, each one trying to get a hug.

"You're officially a lame adult now, Leslie." April rolled her eyes but allowed Leslie to hug her anyway.

"Leslie, can you buy me beer later?" Andy asked her quietly. "I still have a year to go before I can legally buy beer."

"Andy, I'm still not legally allowed to buy alcohol…" she reminded him.

"Oh, bummer. Hey, maybe your mom could buy me beer?" She shook her head at him, and April grabbed Andy away so they could sit on the table.

"Leslie Knope, happy birthday!" Chris said in his cheerful voice before enveloping her in a hug. Chris being here reminded Leslie that Ben was not. Chris also went off to college, the same one that Ben was in. The fact that Chris had made an effort to come to her birthday and Ben didn't, made her cry a little more.

"Come on guyyyyyyys. I'm hungry!" Tom yelled from the table. He had a fedora hat on and was holding his fork and knife in both hands waving them impatiently.

"Shush it little man, this is Leslie's moment." Donna reprimanded him.

"Cut the damn cake, woman." Leslie turned to see Ron sitting in front of the cake with his hands crossed. "There better be bacon and eggs in this party."

Her mom had invited her Woodshop teacher. He was her favorite teacher, not because he taught her how to craft things with wood, to be honest, she sucked at that, but because she considered Ron to be a really great mentor and she picked up more life lessons in his class than in any of her other elective classes.

"I have the bacon and eggs," someone said from behind her. She turned just in time to see Jerry stumble down the steps and she watched in horror as the plate of bacon and eggs flew out of his hands.

Her old neighbor was flat on his back and from the corner of her eyes, she could see Ron run towards him. She thought her teacher would help Jerry up, but instead he ran to the plate of bacon and eggs and placed them back on the plate after blowing on each piece.

"Dammit, Jerry!" her mom yelled.

"It's ok, no need to panic, the bacon wasn't on the ground for more than ten seconds and I've managed to remove most of the grass from the eggs, so these should be fine too."

Leslie burst out laughing. This was the best birthday ever. All of her friends were here to celebrate with her, and her heart was exploding from the abundance of love she felt right now.

They settle down on the table and Leslie cut the cake while her mom took pictures. And Leslie blissfully bit into her waffle, watching her friends goofing around with each other.

After all the food was finished, gifts opened, and a few words about how awesome Leslie was by everyone, they said their goodbyes and left. Except for Ann who stayed behind to help put away the party decorations.

"Maybe he's got exams to study for," Ann said quietly. She'd been watching Leslie all morning and she knew that Ben not being here was affecting her.

"Yeah… maybe," Leslie mumbled. She couldn't stop thinking about how much she missed Ben and wished he was here.

Leslie felt Ann grip her arm and she looked at her friend questioningly. Ann was looking at something behind Leslie, her eyes wide in surprise. Leslie turned to see what it was, and she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Ben was walking towards them slowly, looking unsure.

It took Leslie a second to register his surprise appearance before she sprang into action. She was running to meet him, and her arms wrapped around his neck as she flung herself on him, her skirt swaying back and forth widely. Ben caught her and he secured his hands around her waist, the momentum making him take a few steps back.

"You made it!" Leslie cried into his shoulder.

"I did," Ben whispered in her ear.

Leslie pulled away, wiped her tears, and placed her hands on her hips. "You're late," she scolded him.

"I'm sorry, I was resolving an internal conflict with myself."

Leslie tilted her head, confusion written all over her face, waiting for him to continue.

"When I went off to college," Ben started slowly, "I was excited, and things got busy as I tried to adjust."

He shifted on his feet and placed his hands inside his pockets, looking down on the ground as he continued. "But despite all the things I was busy with, I kept thinking about you. And how much I missed you. And that I wish you were there with me."

Her heart was pounding now, she wasn't sure what he was getting at, but she felt the way Ben had missed her and that he was feeling as miserable as her when he left. "I've missed you too," she interjected, her voice soft and low.

He looked up at her, staring into her blue eyes and he nodded before continuing. "And I've been angry with myself that I didn't do everything that I wanted to do with you."

"What are you talking about?" Leslie asked, "we've spent so much time with each other, what could you possibly want to do that we didn't get to-"

Her question was interrupted when Ben took a step forward, grabbed her face and kissed her.

Leslie thought her heart had stopped. Then it started to pound hard against her chest. Ben's lips were soft, and his kiss was light, and his tongue was slow and searching. In shock, her hands were still on her hips, but her knees were starting to feel weak. Never in a million years did she think that receiving a kiss from Ben would feel this way. Her whole body was shivering from the strong desire she felt.

He pulled away, peering into her eyes, "I didn't get to kiss you," he blurted out, answering the question she asked before he rendered her speechless.

Without hesitation, she lifted herself up on the tip of her toes, grabbing the flaps of his jacket, and pulling him towards her as she kissed him back. This time she released months' worth of pent up longing for him. And Ben received it with the same amount of vigor, his mouth slanting against hers, his hands firmly on her back.

They heard loud dance music play in the background and Ann cheering loudly.

Leslie laughed against Ben's mouth, the vibration making him hug her tighter. They both look in the direction where Ann was and saw her dancing energetically to 'Party Rock Anthem' which she played on her phone.

"You guys finally did it!" Ann screamed, she ran to them and hugged them both. "I'll be inside if you need me," she whispered to Leslie.

Leslie smiled as she watched Ann disappear into the house. She was still in Ben's arms, her head snuggled comfortably on his chest.

"Happy Birthday," Ben said as he kissed the top of her head.

Leslie felt tears in her eyes as she realized that this was the best birthday gift she's ever received.

Yes, she thought, turning eighteen was living up to its promise.


End file.
